Full Details of Injury to Darnell Nurse Revealed by Oilers Defenceman Brett Kulak

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Liam McCormick
November 19, 2024 (5:36 PM)

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While NHL coaches often describe injuries in vague terms, Oilers Defenceman Brett Kulak directly revealed that the reason why Darnell Nurse is missing time is because of a swollen eye.

Coach Knoblauch and the Oilers had only said that Nurse sustained an upper-body injury, which immediately caused worry about a concussion and their unpredictable recovery times. Kulak's injury report is much more reassuring for fans.

»I got to hang out with him a little bit yesterday. He seems to be feeling pretty good. I think the biggest thing holding him back - from what he says right now - is just the swelling in his eye. Obviously, he can't see normally.»
- Brett Kulak on Darnell Nurse

It's an incredibly fortunate to hear that Nurse avoided a concussion on the play, for his recovery time and for him personally.

The entire hockey world was shocked by the inexcusable hit by Leafs forward Ryan Reaves on Darnell Nurse. Reaves, a pure enforcer and nothing more, delivered a completely avoidable hit to the head that surely had intent to injure.

The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Ryan Reaves 5 games for the hit on Darnell Nurse. Many fans thought that suspension was too light for a player with a history of dirty hits like Reaves, but Brett Kulak said the decision was appropriately measured by the league - a mature answer from the veteran.

»The game happens fast, and obviously it was a bad hit, it was directly to the head. But I'm sure Reaves' intentions wasn't that. The five games they go through a big checklist for things to determine that.»
- Brett Kulak

Brett Kulak himself is having a fantastic year so far with the Oilers. After losing several defenders last offseason, Kulak has emerged as a decent candidate for top four minutes, maybe even allowing the Oilers to consider adding a third pair defenceman.

Darnell Nurse was projected to return to the lineup in only 5-10 days, and if the primary issue is swelling around his eye, it will likely be the lower range of the timeframe.

With a weaker blueline this year than last year, Darnell Nurse means so much more as a player that can reliably eat 20 minutes a night. It's great he'll be back soon, hopefully by Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild.